Thomas Cook’s JMC flies into EasyJet/Go airspace

JMC Airlines, the chartered aviation arm of travel company Thomas Cook, is considering offering low-cost scheduled flights to compete with the likes of EasyJet and Go.

The airline has 33 planes which carry passengers to JMC Holidays’ package destinations across Europe.

A move into scheduled flights would see the airline marketing itself direct to consumers for the first time.

Speaking at the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) convention in Cairns, Australia, this week, John Donaldson, chief executive of Thomas Cook Group, said: “We don’t use all our aircraft all of the time, so it would be easy for us to compete with low-cost carriers. We are keeping our options open and won’t allow our business to be eroded by the low-cost carriers.”

A spokeswoman for JMC said the airline was likely to specialise in Mediterranean destinations, which form the bulk of JMC’s package holiday business.

These routes would see it competing closely with EasyJet – as opposed to Go, which specialises in flights to European cities with a cultured image.

JMC Airlines was created in September through the merger of Thomas Cook’s in-house carriers Flying Colours and Caledonian.